Review Volume 15, Issue 8 pp 3191—3217

Figure 2. Representation of age-associated epigenetic changes after following a healthy lifestyle. (A) Representation of a young individual chromatin, with tight chromatin compactation, high levels of DNA methylation, decreased histone PTMs (particularly acetylation), canonical histones and balanced non-coding RNA regulation; (B) Representation of a healthy old aged individual chromatin, we may observe a looser chromatin structure and lower levels of DNA methylation than in A, and higher levels of histones PTMs (acetylation) than in A. There are also different histone variants presence (in exchange of the canonical histones) and an increase of ncRNA imbalance, which is reflected in an overall increase of chromatin instability. The alterations between the structures presented in A and B are represented by arrows. The arrows in green present the causes (here presented as a mindful lifestyle - achieved through a healthy diet, caloric restriction and physical activity) whose effects are reflected by the arrows in yellow/orange, with the lighter colors representing less marked epigenetic alterations.